Elements of the EcoStruxure Machine Expert Logic Builder Screen
Logic Builder consists of the following elements:
oMenus and toolbars
oNavigator views
oCatalog views
oMain editor pane
When you open the Logic Builder, it provides a default screen layout. This document describes the default positions.
You can adapt the elements according to your individual requirements as described in the Customizing the User Interface chapter. You can see and modify the present settings in the Customize dialog box. It is by default available in the Tools menu.
You can also arrange the views and windows anytime via shifting, docking/undocking views, resizing or closing windows. The positions are saved with the project. When you reopen a project, the elements are placed at the positions where they were when the project was saved. The positions of views are saved separately in perspectives.
Default positions of menus, bars, and views on the Logic Builder screen
1 Menu bar
2 Toolbar
3 Multi-tabbed Navigators: Devices tree, Tools tree, Applications tree, Functional tree
4 Messages view
5 Information and status bar
6 Multi-tabbed catalog view: hardware catalog: Controller, HMI & iPC, Devices & Modules, Diverse software catalog: Variables, Assets. Macros, ToolBox, Libraries
7 Multi-tabbed editor view
The Logic Builder screen contains the following components that are visible by default:
Component |
Description |
---|---|
Menu bar |
Provides menus which contain the available commands as defined in the Tools > Customize dialog box. |
Toolbar |
Contains buttons to execute the available tools as defined in the Tools > Customize dialog box. |
Multi-tabbed Navigators |
The following Navigators are available as tabs where the different objects of a project are organized in a tree structure: oDevices tree oApplications tree oTools tree oFunctional tree For further information, refer to the chapter Multi-Tabbed Navigators. |
Messages view |
Provides messages on precompile, compile, build, download operations. Refer to the description of the Messages view commands for details. |
Information and status bar |
Provides the following information: oInformation on the present user. oInformation on editing mode and present position if an editor is open. For further information, see the Information and Status Bar section in this chapter. |
Multi-tabbed Catalog view |
The Catalog view consists of different tabs where the available hardware and software objects are listed: oHardware Catalog oController oHMI & iPC oDevices & Modules oDiverse oSoftware Catalog oVariables oAssets oMacros oToolBox oLibraries For further information, refer to the chapter Multi-Tabbed Catalog Views. |
Multi-tabbed editor window |
Used for creating the particular object in the respective editor. In the case of language editors (for example, ST editor, CFC editor), usually the window combines the language editor in the lower part and the declaration editor in the upper part. In the case of other editors, it can provide dialog boxes (for example, task editor, device editor). The name of the POU or the resource object is displayed in the title bar of this view. You can open the objects in the editor window in offline or online mode by executing the Edit Object command. |
The bar at the lower border of the Logic Builder screen provides three types of information:
oInformation on the logged-in user.
oIf you are working in an editor window: the position of the cursor and the status of editing mode.
oIn online mode: the status of the program.
Information on the logged-in user
Each project has a user and access management setting (refer to the Project > User Management > Permissions... command). The logged-in user is named in the status bar.
Cursor positions in editor windows
The cursor position is counted from the left or upper margin of the editor window.
Abbreviation |
Description |
---|---|
Ln |
Line in which the cursor is placed. |
Col |
Column in which the cursor is placed. (A column includes exactly one space, character, or digit.) |
Ch |
Number of characters. (In this context, a character can be a single character or digit as well as a tab including, for example, four columns.) |
Double-click one of the fields to open the dialog box Go To Line. Here you can enter a different position where the cursor is placed.
The status of the editing mode is indicated by the following abbreviations:
Abbreviation |
Description |
---|---|
INS |
Insert mode |
OVR |
Overwrite mode |
Double-click this field to toggle the setting.
The following status of the program is indicated:
Text |
Description |
---|---|
Program loaded |
Program loaded on device. |
Program unchanged |
Program on device matches that in the programming system. |
Program modified (Online Change) |
Program on device differs from that in the programming system, online change required. |
Program modified (Full download) |
Program on device differs from that in the programming system, full download required. |
Online mode information
Status of the application on the device:
Text |
Background Color |
Description |
---|---|---|
RUN |
Green |
Program running. |
STOP |
Red |
Program stopped. |
HALT ON BP |
Red |
Program halted on a breakpoint. |
The following status field is only available if the controller, depending on a setting in the device description, supports cycle-independent monitoring. |
||
IN CYCLE |
White |
Indicates that the values of the monitored expressions are read within one cycle. |
OUT OF CYCLE |
Red |
Indicates that the retrieval of the values of the monitored variables cannot be performed within one cycle. |
Watch Windows and Online Views of Editors
Watch windows and online editor views display a monitoring view of a POU or a user-defined list of watch expressions.
Windows, Views, and Editor Windows
There are two different types of windows in the Logic Builder:
oSome can be docked to any margin of the EcoStruxure Machine Expert window or can be positioned on the screen as undocked windows independently from the EcoStruxure Machine Expert window. Additionally they can be hidden by being represented as a tab in the EcoStruxure Machine Expert window frame (refer to the Customizing the User Interface chapter). These windows display information which is not dependent on a single object of the project (for example Messages view or Devices tree). You can access them via the View menu. Most views include a non-configurable toolbar with buttons for sorting, viewing, searching within the window.
oOther windows open when you are viewing or editing a specific project object in the respective editor. They are displayed in the multi-tabbed editor window. You cannot hide or undock them from the EcoStruxure Machine Expert window. You can access them via the Window menu.
EcoStruxure Machine Expert allows you to switch between open views and editors. To switch between open views and editors, press the Ctrl and Tab keys simultaneously. A window opens that lists the views and editors that are open. As long as the Ctrl key is pressed the window stays open. Use the Tab key or the Arrow keys simultaneously to select a specific view or editor.